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ALTERNATIVE TRANSIT
Trail advocates bring new life to abandoned railroads
BY ALEX CARP

The American romance with the open road is as old as the interstate highway system and the mass-produced car. It gave birth to the lay explorer, but it sure killed the railroad. As highways evolved into the preferred form of domestic transportation, the railways that had supported the industrial revolution and coast-to-coast expansion could no longer support themselves. The land that, years before, had been cleared of trees and animals to make way for secondary and alternate railways suddenly became cleared of people and trains, leaving empty rails.

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), a Washington, DC-based nonprofit boasting 100,000 members and donors, gives many of these abandoned railways new life. By inspiring and creating rail-trails, RTC transforms an unusable rail bed into an ideal park for running or cycling, as well as a space for wildlife conservation in non-rural areas. The group, which bills itself as the nation’s largest trails organization, is dedicated creating a nationwide network of public nature trails from abandoned railroads. RTC selects the best trail projects in an area, and works with local leaders to showcase them to trail builders and advocates worldwide. Each trail offers something very different, from the simple grassy stroll to tunnels and wetlands.

Transforming a dead rail into a vibrant park often starts with local groups that can grow into a community-based program. In many places, especially if federal funds are needed to build the trail, town officials get involved, and a local, state, or government agency buys the railway before financing trail construction. The railroad company salvages the tracks and ties, and the path is covered with asphalt, crushed stone, or wood chips.

This summer, Providence hosted TrailLink 2003, RTC’s fourth international conference. The conference almost returned rail work to its roots (the first US railway was a four-meter rail used by horse-drawn cars to carry granite from quarry to tidewater in Quincy, Massachusetts). TrailLink 2003 was based at the Biltmore, but included workshops and events that showcased New England’s trails and the city of Providence. Boasting participation from people all over the United States, as well as from more than 10 other countries, the conference brought many trail designers and enthusiasts to Providence’s trails. It created a place for trail builders and rail-trail advocates to network and share information.

RTC chose Providence as the location for TrailLink 2003 because of the city’s trail network. One TrailLink workshop took place on a route in Providence’s South Side that was marked in English, Spanish, Khmer, and Creole, emphasizing how diverse partnerships can be vital in addressing public health, economic development, historical preservation, and regional equity. Providence’s longest single trail, the East Bay Bicycle Path, starts in Bristol and continues for 14.5 miles to Providence. There are other trails leading to Connecticut, Massachusetts, and other areas of New England. Ultimately, RTC would like to create a "joining of the rails" that would form a Florida-to-Maine East Coast Greenway.

"It was a vision of our founders to make sure that these rail corridors stayed in circulation and weren’t lost forever," said Betsy Goodrich, a field representative for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and conference manager for TrailLink 2003. And Rhode Island, she says, offers some good examples of returning such spaces to a productive use.


Issue Date: October 24 - 30, 2003
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